Centrifugal drier



Aug. 12, 1930. B. GREEN CENTRIFUGAL DRIER Filed March 25. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H Ill /lllllllo .ilqllllllzvll il. lI-Olln ll Ill.

U llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll L I a treated; Au 12, 1930 .JLEE B. GREEN, 01 LAKEWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BOBDEN COMPANY, OF

. WARREN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO CENTRIFUGAL DRIER Application filed March 25, 1927. Serial No. 178,242.

This invention relates to improvements in centrifugal driers and has reference particularly to centrifugal driers for washing machines.

Driers for this purpose have been proposed in which the container is shaped like an inverted truncated cone having an imperforate wall, with the idea of causing water from the clothes to move upwardly and out over the upper edge of the container. A drier built in accordance with this idea is not all that could be desired inasmuch as the clothes the same time providing a passage or pasthemselves packed tightly against the walls by centrifugal force interfere considerably sages for the conduction ofthe water from the bottom of the container to the top thereof but which throughout its entire extent is i .own balance and whereby vibrations set up.

beyond any direct contact with the clothes.

Anotherobject is the provision of means for accomplishing the purpose stated consisting of a container having a double side wall, the inner element of which is-perforated and the outer imperforate.

Another object is the provision of a container made up of two independent parts,

namely, an inner clothes containing basket and an outer vessel formed to discharge water at the top thereof, the two parts being so formed that they are positively locked together for rotatable movement while they may be separated by merely lifting theba'sket out of the vessel.

'Another object driving connection for the container positioned centrally above the bottom thereof whereby the container is enabled to find its in the rotating container due to uneven distribution of the load therein are absorbed or partially absorbed so that the vibration of" is the provision of a flexible the driving mechanism and of the machine as a whole is much reduced with obviously advantageous results.

Another object is the provision of what may be termed a flywheel at the bottom of the container thereby increasing considerably the total rotating mass with the result that uneven distribution of the load produces a correspondingly smaller proportionate unbalance than would be the case without such a flywheel, and thus reduces vibration.

Still another objectis the provision of a friction clutch mechanism giving that slip in the driving mechanism during starting which is necessary to prevent overloading the driving motor, this clutch being entirely metallic and, therefore, withstanding wear ad mirably, but being readily adjustable to compensate for such wear as may occur.

Other objects, and objects relating to details of construction and economies of manufacture, will appear as I proceed with the de scription of those embodiments of the invention which, for the purposes of the present' application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical central sectional view of a centrifugal clothes drier embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmental detail view showing the friction clutch mechanism of Fig.1 on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional view of a modified form of container for use in my invention; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmental view of a portion of an outer wall of still another modification of the container.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the casin of the machine, which may be generally cy indrical, has a side wall 10 of sheet metal with a bottom 11 of the same ma terial provided with a central opening. The bottom of the casing has suitable reinforcements including a' peripheral element 12 and a ring 13 surrounding the opening in the bottom of the casing. The ring 13 has secured thereto by a. plurality of machine screws 14 a bearing-supportin casting 15. The casting 15 is internally s ouldered to support the outer race 16 of a radial and thrust ball hearing, the outer race being held to' the shoulder by a ring 17 which is secured to the casting by screws 18. The inner race 19 of this hearing abuts against an enlargement 20 on a shaft 21, being held in position by a washer and nut 22 and 23, respectively, the nut being threaded on the shaft 21. Packing rings 24 are mounted in the lower part of the casting 15 to prevent the escape of lubricating oil.- The shaft 21 extends downwardly out of the casting 15 and at its lower end has provision for connection with some driving means which in the drawings takes the form of a fiexible'shaft' 25 having adriving pin 25 working in a slot 26 in the shaft 21.

The flexible shaft is preferably enclosed in a flexible armor 2'? attached to a fitting 28 threaded onto the lower extremity of the casting 15.

Next above. the enlargement 20 of the shaft 21 is a washer 29 which supports the lower end of a spiral spring 30 formed of wire of square cross-section which is ground to an accurate measurement on its outer surface and constitutes the inner race of a roller clutch, two of the rollers of which are shown at 31. The rollers 31 are mounted in a cage,

' the upper and lower portions of which are shown at 32 and 33, respectively. Above the spring 30 is a second washer 34 which may be caused to compress the spring 30 more or less, a nut 35 with a lock washer 36 being emplo ed for this purpose, the nut 35 being threa ed upon the reduced upper end of the shaft 21. y increasing the compression of the spring 30, its diameter may be increased whereby the friction in the roller clutch is varied and controlled.

The outer race 36 of the roller clutch is extended upwardly to form an enclosure for the nut 35, and its upper end has attached thereto by screws 37, or the like, a casting 38 which is centrally bored to receive a bushing-39 fitting the shaft 21 and counterbored to receive a steel bearing disk 40 and a steel ball 41,-these latter parts transmitting end thrust to the shaft 21, the rollers 31 taking radial thrust only. lhe upper end of the casting 38 is tapered slightly to receive with a tight sliding fit a tapered sleeve 42 upon which is mounted an annular block 43 of soft rubber.

An annular sheet metal element a l has a flange 15 at the bottom thereof which is welded or otherwise secured to the bottom 11 of the machine casing. At its upper end, the element 44- carries a packing ring 98. Thus the rotating parts are enclosed and the discharge of lubricating oil is prevented.

In carrying out my invention, 1 preferably form the clothes container of two parts, one of which is an outer vessel d7 having a central upstanding and preferably conoidal portion 4:8 having a bead d9 in wall adapted to abut against the lower .end of the block t3 and having a series of small rounded projections 50 that take into the rubber of the block 43 so that a good driving connection results. The closed upper end of the upstanding portion-48 may rest upon the upper end of the block a3. The other, part of the container is a perforate basket 51 also preferably provided with a central upstanding portion 52- of con'oidal form which rests upon the upstanding portion 48 of the outer vessel and has a frictional engagement therewith so that rotation imparted to the outer vessel 47 is transmitted to the basket 51.

The bottom of the container carries a mass evenly distributed in a circle around the axis of the container. in practice, I prefer to; use for this mass a ring 53 and to secure it. to the lower surface of the vessel 17 by means: of rivets 54: or the like; This ring 53zwhich is in the nature of a flywheel may varylas to, weight but I preferthat it shall have a mass:

- at least equivalent to theweight of the wet! clothes whichg' the container is intended to: receive.

The'upper portion of the basket 51 is curved. inwardly and may be rolled into a rim 55 surrounding the hand opening into the basket. The side wall of .the vessel; 47 inclines outwardly toward'the top and atits upper edge is flanged and rolled into a; rim 56.

Around the top ofthe wall 10oftl1'e;machine casing is a trough .57 formed pref.-

erablyin a casting of aluminum or 'alumi-..

num alloy, the trough having a'slight downward inclination on both sides towards the. water exit 58. The casting in which the,

trough 57 is incorporated may be secured to. the top of the wall 10 by'any suitable means; A reinforcing bar 59 may extend partially or entirely around'the'casing and preferably;

supports part of the weight ofthe machine." Above the trough 57 and integraltherewithz isa ring 60 into which fits snugly the" cover 61 which has a large central-opening for the reception of a smallercover62h During-the;

operation of the machine, it is necessary only" to use the cover 62, but the removalof the.

outer cover 61 is. of course, necessary before the basket 51 can be lifted out of the machine.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the casing of the machine is substantially the same as in the" form above described except that in' this 'figure, l have shown a single large cover 63 although obviously the double cover of Fig. 1

described is made in two parts, but inthis.

modification'the side wallsj64 and 65 of the,

inner basket and the outer vessel,. respec-v tively, are both vertical. The wall 65 has:

formed therein a series of spiral grooves or:

passages '66 extending from the bottom of the wall to thetop-thereof. Fig. 4 illustratesthe side wall construction of a different modificaton of the container in which 67 is the side wall of theouter vessel and is vertical, but instead of being grooved as is the wall 65 of Fig. 3, its spiral passages are formed of Z-shaped bars 68 spirally arranged upon the inner surface of the wall 67 tion shown in Fig. 1, water deposited on the wall 47 is caused by centrifugal force to flow upwardly and out over the upper'edge of the wall and to the trough 57 whence it finds its way out through the exit opening 58 and into some suitable receptacle'not shown. In the case of the construction shown in Figi1 3, water deposited on the vertical wall ds its way into the grooves 66. Then the rotation of the container in the direction indicated by arrow A raises the water by a screw action, combined with centrifugal force, un-' til it flows out over the top of the wall 65 and a into the trough 57 Exactly the same operation follows in the case of the construction shown in Fig.4. In all three forms of the invention herein illustrated, it is obvious that the water is removed from the clothes to an equal .extent regardless of their distance from the top or bottom of the container and that the removed waterfinds its way to the to of the outer vessel without having any fu her contact with the clothes.

During the rotation of the container, the ock43 serves to absorb or partially count of any uneven distribution 0 the wet clothes in the inner basket.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a centrifugal drier,'a container, supporting and driving-means therefor attached 'thereto at a central point above the bottom of the container, said supporting and driving means comprising a b ock of resilient material for the absorption of vibrations due to uneven distribution of the load in saidcontainer, and a heavy mass evenly distributed in a circle below. the container and secured amount of vibration due to unevenness of the load is reduced. I

2.111 a centrifugal drier, a driving means com rising a vertical shaft, 9. rubber block at t e upper end thereof, an upstanding conoidal rotating element mounted on said block, and a basket provided with a conoidal projection extending upwardly from the bottom thereof adapted to fit snugly upon the said conoidal rotating element and to be sup-- ported thereby, whereby a frictional driving adapted to set within said vessel and provided with a central upstanding portion adapted to enclose the. upstanding portion of said vessel, said upstanding portions being e formed and constructed that they are 100 against relative rotational movement by downward vertical movement of the basket only and unlocked by a vertical movement of the basket upwardly.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

'LEE B. GREEN.

, thereto for movementtherewith, whereby the 

